Sunday, March 23, 2008

Kimi Raikkonen put the Australian Grand Prix disaster behind to win the 2008 Malaysian Grand Prix in a flawless piece of driving on Sunday 23rd March at Sepang, Kuala Lampur. Starting from the second on the grid he overcome the team mate Massa after the first pit stop and claimed a comfortable victory.

The Ferrari driver cruised home 19.5 seconds ahead of Robert Kubica'sBMW Sauber with Heikki Kovalainen finishing third for McLaren. Lewis Hamilton finished fifth behind Jarno Trulli'sToyota after a bungled pit stop cost the Brit a chance of a podium.

Pole-sitter Ferrari'sFelipe Massa saw his race end after 30 laps by spinning out of an easy second place.

A Ferrari victory had looked odds-on before the race as chief rivals Kovalainen and Hamilton had both been hit by five-place grid penalties for impeding Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso at the end of yesterday's qualifying session, meaning they lined up eighth and ninth respectively.

Nick Heidfeld set fastest lap in the closing stages as he thirsted after Hamilton, while Webber was able to hold off a challenging Fernando Alonso in the Renault as they wrapped up the final points.

David Coulthard had a relatively quiet race to ninth in the second Red Bull ahead of fellow Briton, Jenson Button, who survived a late off-track moment in his Honda to lead home Renault’sNelson Piquet, the Brazilian rookie recording his first Grand Prix finish.

Giancarlo Fisichella was 12th for Force India, a lap down, taking the place after Honda’sRubens Barrichello had to serve a drive-through penalty for pit lane speeding.